With so many reporters and media present, the exhibition hall for the press conference was bustling with activity.

As the makeup artist was applying makeup to Shen Xingsui, she said, "Suisui, how long has it been since you had a proper rest? You have dark circles under your eyes and you look a bit tired."

Shen Xingsui thought for a moment and replied, "It's been two months."

"How can that be?!" The makeup artist was a little surprised, but still impressed: "Your skin is still in such good condition after working for so long. It's so good to be young."

Shen Xingsui smiled gently: "Teacher Fu's is pretty good too."

The makeup artist nodded in agreement, saying, "What you said makes sense. Teacher Fu is in really good shape. Even though he's older now, you see many celebrities in the industry who have reached 30 and their condition has declined to some extent. They have to rely on thick filters for some fancams and such. But Teacher Fu works so hard and still doesn't look old. It's true that comparisons are the thief of joy."

Shen Xingsui thought for a moment and said, "He has always been exercising."

"Exercise is one aspect, but personal talent is another." The makeup artist, who knows this well, said, "You may not know, but Teacher Fu seems to be born for this. When he was in his early twenties, he was incredibly handsome. Everyone else has a peak in their looks, but Teacher Fu has always been at his peak. People say that Teacher Fu is the only one who can rely on his looks but insists on relying on his talent."

Shen Xingsui recalled the past, a smile appearing on his face, and whispered to the makeup artist, "I know."

The makeup artist was taken aback.

Shen Xingsui's smile was faint, and his gentle eyes looked at the makeup artist. Even though he didn't say anything, it seemed that everything was understood without words.

The makeup artist pursed her lips and sighed softly, "You and Teacher Fu have such a good relationship. To be honest, I haven't seen many people in the industry with such a good relationship in all these years. Maybe you can even invite him to be your best man at your wedding!"

This was originally a joke.

But suddenly it felt like a heavy stone had fallen on Shen Xingsui's heart.

The stylist came over and said with a smile, "I heard you and your boyfriend are getting engaged?"

"Yes," the makeup artist said with a happy smile. "We estimate that if we meet each other's parents by the end of the year, we can set a date. What about you? You and your boyfriend haven't made any plans to get married yet?"

The stylist pursed her lips and said, "Don't even mention it. The housing issue still hasn't been resolved. We want to get married, but look at us now, nothing's prepared. Where are we supposed to get married..."

They chatted together, but Shen Xingsui couldn't get a word in edgewise. Of course, he also wanted to chat with everyone about his lover and their recent situation, but he couldn't.

...

There was a knocking sound at the door.

The staff member entered and said, "Hello, Teacher Shen, you can go on stage in a moment."

Shen Xingsui replied, "Okay."

Their interview time was approaching, and the other media outlets were already prepared. When Shen Xingsui arrived, Director Zhang Sansan, dressed in a suit and tie, waved and greeted him, saying, "Suisui, I have some good news for you."

Shen Xingsui: "What's wrong?"

"Our box office has surpassed one billion." Zhang Sansan's face was filled with an utterly pure smile: "We've recouped our investment. I haven't let you investors down, have I?"

Their initial investment was only around 500 million yuan. With the box office revenue sharing, Shen Xingsui, as one of the investors, already received more than 100 million yuan in box office dividends alone, based on the return of funds.

Shen Xingsui praised: "Director, you are really amazing."

Although Zhang San San felt he could stand up straight again, he could still see reality clearly: "It's all thanks to Teacher Fu and you for giving me this opportunity. I know that if it weren't for Teacher Fu's participation and your investment, I would never have had this opportunity."

"Your kindness is immense..." Zhang Sansan clasped his hands in a fist salute, "I will never forget it."

Shen Xingsui chuckled and looked at the director helplessly: "You're too kind. We've mutually benefited from this."

Zhang San San was very nervous: "This press conference is being broadcast live. It's my first time facing so many viewers. Do you think my clothes are okay, Sui Sui? Will they look bad?"

"Director, you're already very handsome." Shen Xingsui patted his shoulder: "There's nothing wrong with live streaming. People who come to watch the live stream are definitely fans who like movies and like you, so you don't need to be nervous."

Zhang San San was finally relieved.

The staff member next to them said, "You two get ready, you can go on stage now."

As they approached the stage, the media below were making a racket. Shen Xingsui and Jiang Chao had already arrived, but Fu Jinxiao had not yet arrived due to scheduling conflicts, so they were the ones who were interviewed first.

The host, controlling the flow of the event, said, "First of all, welcome everyone to our 'The Lonely City' symposium. We sincerely thank you all for your support. Now, please welcome our director Zhang and lead actors to the stage to greet everyone..."

Amidst thunderous applause, the guests began to take the stage.

The spotlight was shining very brightly and flashing.

The viewers in the live stream were also very excited:

"It's starting! It's starting!"

“My darling Sui Sui, you’ve been in seclusion filming a movie, and I’ve finally met you.”

"Why isn't Teacher Fu here?"

"Will Teacher Fu arrive in the second half?"

Wow, I can't wait!

The symposium officially began. The film "The Lonely City" received recognition from all sides. The host also invited the lead actors to share their views on their roles. When talking about the interactions between Jiang Chao and Shen Xingsui during their childhood, everyone laughed heartily.

Shen Xingsui said, "When we were filming, because neither of us had any experience, we often apologized to each other."

Jiang Chao couldn't help but laugh as he held the microphone: "Yes, for example, today I say sorry, Teacher Shen, and tomorrow it's Teacher Shen's turn to say, 'Brother Jiang, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I made you do it several times again.'"

The atmosphere at the interview table was very lively.

Shen Xingsui and Jiang Chao added, "Our director is also a novice, and sometimes a funny thing on set is that we would suddenly apologize to the director."

The host asked with a smile, "Is that so, Director Zhang?"

“Yes, yes.” Zhang San pushed up his glasses and said with some helplessness, “Because I always have a lot of different ideas, and then I often make the actors do many different movements for one shot. It takes too long, and I feel very bad for the two teachers.”

Jiang Chao joked, "We just keep sabotaging each other."

The host continued the conversation, asking Shen Xingsui, "Did this problem improve when you acted alongside Teacher Fu later on?"

Shen Xingsui was taken aback at first, then quickly nodded and said, "Yes, Teacher Fu is a very experienced and mature actor. He gave me a lot of help in the performance, so the filming progress was actually very fast. I am very grateful to Teacher Fu and cherish this opportunity to work together."

When asked about the award-winning actor, the media naturally like to make a big deal out of it, as this can increase their exposure.

The host then asked, "Do you hope to collaborate again in the future?"

“Of course.” Shen Xingsui nodded and smiled, “It is my honor to be able to collaborate with Teacher Fu.”

The answers here are all official, after all, the hosts are their own people, and the questions are all pre-set. Shen Xingsui is also very cooperative and answers perfectly.

Then it was finally time for the reporters to ask questions.

The host said to the audience, "We have a ten-minute Q&A session with the lead actors. You can ask questions based on what netizens are most concerned about. We also have many loyal fans of the movie here today, so everyone will have a chance to communicate with the lead actors."

A thunderous round of applause erupted from below.

The reporters began asking questions, and the initial questions were all fairly normal, until a fan got the chance to ask a question. Holding the microphone, she looked at the people on stage and said softly, "Hello Sui Sui, I am your fan. I have even bought more than twenty tickets and have gone to every single one of your shows. I really like you and I fully support your career. I also really like Fang Zhiwen and Xu Yan. I have helped promote your work through word of mouth. But recently, we, including some movie fans, have been hurt by another group of people."

Suddenly, the scene fell into a deathly silence.

This question is too sensitive and sharp, and that fan has no intention of stopping: "There are many people who are very resistant to us and boycott CP fans. Some people even have doubts about your relationship with Teacher Fu. Everyone is arguing very seriously. Actually, these are all okay, but these arguments contain a lot of attacks on you, and even attacks on us fans."

Shen Xingsui tightened his grip on the microphone. The fans' words felt like heavy hammer blows to his heart. Standing on the stage, looking at the faces of the fans below, he could even see their watery eyes because of the distance. Those eyes were looking at him, as if a silent rebuke was striking his heart.

"Sui Sui, we really like you and support you." The fan whispered, "We don't listen to what others say, we only want to hear what you say. Are you and Teacher Fu just collaborators, or simply a teacher-student relationship?"

The entire audience erupted in uproar when those words were spoken.

The spotlights flashed incessantly, and the reporters from various media outlets were all trembling with excitement.

Shen Xingsui stood on the stage, the spotlight was really bright, so bright it was almost blinding, a bright white expanse, surrounded by a noisy crowd. He stood stiffly in place, holding the microphone, his lips trembling slightly, not knowing how to speak.

This is related to Fu Jinxiao's future career.

Too many people dislike him, and it's very likely that because of him, Fu Jinxiao's spotless reputation will be tarnished.

That was his lover, and in front of him were his fans. No matter what he did, it seemed like he would hurt one of them. It was as if the world had been torn in two, and he was standing in the middle of the two sides, being pulled and tormented. His ears were filled with a noisy cacophony, and his eyes were filled with a bright white light. And he still had to make a choice here, as if the whole world was forcing him to make a decision.

Seeing the awkwardness, Zhang San San quickly came over to try and dodge the question: "Well, this isn't a big deal. I can vouch for it. They didn't have any particularly inappropriate feelings for each other. We were all very normal while filming..."

Jiang Chao quickly came over and tugged at Shen Xingsui's arm, a fake smile on his face as he said to the camera, "Yes, yes, some of the rumors circulating outside are just rumors..."

The people in the audience were very dissatisfied and hoped that Shen Xingsui would speak for herself.

The pulling and tugging, the noisy and chaotic scene—everything seemed like a gaping monster, ready to devour people.

...

suddenly

At that moment, the world fell silent.

On the other side of the stage stood a tall man in a black trench coat. His style and clothing were casual, but even so, when he stood under the stage lights, everyone's eyes were drawn to him. Fu Jinxiao took off his sunglasses, revealing his handsome face, and a nonchalant smile appeared on his face. He opened his lips and said, "Good afternoon, everyone."

Everyone looked over, and when they saw him, they breathed a sigh of relief.

Director Zhang San San hurriedly came over and said, "Tonight, it's good that you came. Please come and clarify this matter."

Fu Jinxiao nodded at him, then strode towards Shen Xingsui in the center of the stage. Shen Xingsui stood there with the microphone in his hand, watching the man walk towards him step by step. His boots made a crisp sound on the ground, and he seemed to still carry a bit of the chill of the cold wind, perhaps because he had just come in from outside.

Shen Xingsui's eyes flickered slightly until Fu Jinxiao stopped in front of him and gave him a gentle smile: "Sorry I'm late."

It was like a reassurance, as if telling Shen Xingsui that I was here, making her feel at ease.

Shen Xingsui pursed her lips and gently shook her head.

Fu Jinxiao took the microphone from Shen Xingsui and smiled at the audience, saying, "Since I'm late, let's go straight to the Q&A session. How about I answer the questions you just asked Teacher Shen?"

The audience erupted in uproar and readily agreed.

Fu Jinxiao looked at the fan who asked the question. His tone was always somewhat lazy, but when answering this question, he was serious and earnest: "Shen Xingsui is my lover."

The fans' eyes widened as soon as he said that.

"We are in a romantic relationship, and of course, we will be officially married in the near future," Fu Jinxiao said calmly. "Thank you all for your concern about our relationship. We will also invite our friends from the media to participate in and witness our wedding."

? ? ?

The media representatives in the audience seemed to have question marks above their heads for a moment, followed by shock!

The viewers in the live stream went wild:

"Really?"

"This is actually true!"

"Shen Xingsui, did you save the galaxy in your past life?"

I hate you!

"I'm heartbroken, sob sob."

"No, I disagree. They are not a good match at all. I'm really unfollowing them."

The scene was chaotic and lively, destined to be an extraordinary night. Fu Jinxiao's relationship was sure to cause a huge uproar, especially among the fans who would be making a huge fuss.

"Oh, right." Amidst the chaos, Fu Jinxiao spoke slowly again, "There's one more thing to announce. I originally planned to wait a bit, but since we've come this far, let's just say it all at once."

Shen Xingsui also glanced at him with some surprise.

Fu Jinxiao looked down at him, a faint smile in his eyes. He opened his lips and calmly delivered a bombshell: "I announce that I will permanently retire from the entertainment industry after ending all my signed engagements."